High speed horizontal stacker

ABSTRACT

A horizontal stacker is provided having an input feeder that receives items to be stacked in a generally horizontal orientation, and transitions the items to a generally vertical orientation at an off-loading position. A stabilizing device located at the off-loading position receives items from the input feeder and stabilizes the items in the generally vertical orientation. An accumulator assembly receives the items from the stabilizing device and includes a holding ram connected to a drive that indexes the holding ram back as the generally vertically oriented items are stacked together horizontally against the holding ram to hold the items in the generally vertical orientation as they are stacked.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/429,065, filed Nov. 25, 2002, which is incorporatedby reference herein as if fully set forth.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The present invention is directed to a product stacker, and moreparticularly to a horizontal stacker that stacks items, such as foodproducts, on edge in an ordered horizontal stack.

[0003] For certain types of food products, it is desirable tohorizontally stack or accumulate items. This can be used, for example,in reestablishing a loaf of bread after the individual slices have beenprocessed. It can also be used where the type, number or configurationof the items to be stacked are not easily stackable vertically, or wherethe height of the stack would be too great for conveying or otherhandling without falling over, becoming disoriented or otherwisechanging from the desired configuration. Items, such as French toast,waffles or other comestible products may also require specializedhandling to prevent breakage.

[0004] It would be desirable to provide a fast and cost effective meansfor packaging such products that is not labor intensive and which willnot result in unacceptable damage to the products.

SUMMARY

[0005] Briefly stated, the invention is directed to a horizontal stackerwhich includes an input feeder that receives the items to be stacked ina first, generally horizontal orientation, and transitions the items toa generally vertical orientation at an off-loading position. Atransitioning conveyor is located at the off-loading position whichreceives each of the items and holds them in the generally verticalorientation as it carries the items to an accumulator assembly, wherethe items are horizontally accumulated or stacked. The accumulatorassembly includes a holding ram that is connected to a drive thatindexes the holding ram back as the generally vertically oriented itemsare stacked together to hold the items in the generally verticalorientation as they are stacked. A surface of the accumulator assemblythat the items are held on comprises an exit conveyor that extendsgenerally at right angles to the transitioning conveyor. Flights arelocated on the exit conveyor that maintain an accumulated row of stackeditems in alignment. After a row is filled, the exit conveyor indexesforward so that a next horizontal stack can be formed.

[0006] In another aspect of the invention, the transitioning conveyorincludes individual item holding flights that hold the individual itemsin a generally vertical orientation as they are received from the inputfeeder. The item holding flights also act to prevent the items fromfalling over as they are accumulated in the accumulator assembly.

[0007] Preferably, multiple row forming lanes for product are providedon the transitioning conveyor, and the accumulator assembly alsoincludes multiple lanes for receiving and stacking multiple horizontalstacks, located parallel to one another, at the same time. The exitconveyor then indexes forward with multiple completed horizontal stacksof items located between a plurality of flights on the exit conveyor.

[0008] In another aspect of the invention, the input feeder transitionsitems from a horizontal to a vertical orientation at an off-loadingposition where they are supported by a receiving platform. The items arestabilized in their vertical orientation by a collating pusher which isindexed and translates away as additional items are received from thefeeder, creating a horizontal stack of vertically oriented items. When afirst predetermined count of items are stacked on the receivingplatform, the collating pusher withdraws from the platform andstabilization of the stack is effected by a holding ram. When a secondgreater predetermined number of items are stacked, the collating pusheris re-inserted behind the last item stacked and, in cooperation with theholding ram, sweeps the completed stack onto an exit conveyor. Again,multiple lanes are preferably provided to allow simultaneous productionof multiple stacks.

[0009] Utilizing a system in accordance with the invention allows over100 items per minute to be vertically stacked in each lane of thehorizontal stacker, which can then be carried off for packaging by theexit conveyor in stacks of a predetermined size, such as 8 to 16 items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detaileddescription of the invention, will be better understood when read inconjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustratingthe invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which arepresently preferred. It should be understood, however, that theinvention is not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentalities shown. In the drawings:

[0011]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a horizontal stacker in accordance with afirst preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0012]FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the horizontal stacker of FIG. 1.

[0013]FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of a transitioningconveyor surface of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0014]FIG. 4 is a horizontal stacker in accordance with anotherpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0015]FIG. 5a is an elevation view of the horizontal stacker of FIG. 4shown in a first operating position.

[0016]FIG. 5b is an elevation view of the horizontal stacker of FIG. 4shown in a second operating position.

[0017]FIG. 5c is an elevation view of the horizontal stacker of FIG. 4shown in a third operating position.

[0018]FIG. 5d is an elevation view of the horizontal stacker of FIG. 4shown in a fourth operating position.

[0019]FIG. 5e is an elevation view of the horizontal stacker of FIG. 4shown in a fifth operating position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

[0020] Certain terminology is used in the following description forconvenience only and is not limiting. The words “right,” “left,”“lower,” and “upper” designate directions in the drawings to whichreference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer todirections towards and away from, respectively, the geometric center ofthe stacker in accordance with the present invention, and designatedparts thereof. The terminology includes the words noted above as well asderivatives thereof and words of similar import. Additionally, the words“a” and “one” refer to one or more of the referenced item, unlessspecifically noted.

[0021] Referring now to FIG. 1, a horizontal stacker 10 in accordancewith a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. Thestacker 10 includes an input feeder 12 which receives the items to bestacked 14 from a feed area 16, which can be automatically or manuallyloaded. The items 14 are accumulated in a staging area 18, and when atleast one item is in each row forming lane of the stacker 10 at theloading position, the items 14 are indexed forward so that one item 14in each lane is moved onto a star wheel 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.While six row forming lanes are shown, those skilled in the art willunderstand from the present disclosure that any number of lanes could beutilized.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a star wheel 20 is provided at eachlane of items to be stacked, and upon being loaded, the star wheel 20rotates 90° so that the items 14 are transitioned from a generallyhorizontal orientation to a generally vertical orientation at anoff-load position. In this preferred embodiment, each lane includes twospaced apart star wheels 20 so that each item 14 is firmly and stablysupported by the star wheels 20 in order to ensure proper placement.

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a transitioning conveyor 22 is located atthe off-load position to receive the now generally vertically orienteditems 14. In the preferred embodiment, the transitioning conveyor 22 hassix lanes. However, any number of lanes could be utilized. The conveyor22 can have a continuous belt type surface or can be made up of aplurality of interconnected segments. Individual item holding flights 24are located on the conveyor 22 which hold the items from the star wheel20 in a generally vertical orientation on the transitioning conveyor 22.Alternatively, the surface of the conveyor 22 can be fixed, and only theflights 24 are moved so that the bottom of the items 14 slides along thefixed surface as they are moved forward.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the flights 24 include an upright fingerportion 25 at each lane location to hold the items 14 upright, as shownin FIG. 2. Each flight is connected at an upper pin location 26 with anupper chain drive 28 and at a lower pin location 30 with a lower chaindrive 32. The chain drives 28, 32 are advanced at the same speeds sothat as the items 14 are delivered to the end of the transitioningconveyor 22, the flights 24 remain vertical as they are moved downwardlyand out of the way of the next flight 24 carrying the next item 14 to bestacked. The chain drives 28, 32 are preferably driven by motors thatare controlled by a controller so that they are advanced in time withthe star wheel 20 discharge.

[0025] Preferably, the flights 24 also include slots 34, as shown inFIG. 3 at each star wheel 20 location. This allows the star wheels 20 torotate through the plane of each flight 24 as they transition the items14 from the generally horizontal to the generally vertical position. Theflights 24 each also include a bottom slot 35 that is slightly largerthan the size of the finger 25, so that as the flights move downwardlyat the right side of the conveyor 22, as shown in FIG. 2, the finger 25of the previous flight 24 can overlap with the next flight 24 during thevertical movement of the flights 24. This allows the pitch of theflights 24 to be varied to suit a particular item 14 without anylimitations that would otherwise be caused by the height of the finger25.

[0026] The accumulator assembly 40 located at the end of thetransitioning conveyor 22 preferably includes an exit conveyor 42,located at right angles to the transitioning conveyor 22, onto which theitems 14 are pushed by the flights 24 on the transitioning conveyor 22.Horizontal row defining flights 44 are located on the exit conveyor 42to define a plurality of stacking rows equal to and aligned with thelanes from the transitioning conveyor 22.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a holding ram 46 is located over theexit conveyor 42 at each horizontally oriented stacking row location.The holding ram 46 is indexed back by a drive 48, controlled by thecontroller, as each successive item is delivered from the transitioningconveyor 22. The drive 48 is preferably a stepper motor, but could beany other type of electric, pneumatic or hydraulic actuator thatprovides the desired motion control. Preferably, a single drive 48 isused to move all of the holding rams 46 at the same time.

[0028] Once a desired number of items 14 have been pushed by the flights24 of the transitioning conveyor 22 onto the surface of the exitconveyor 42 between the row defining flights 44, the exit conveyor 42 isindexed forward by the number of lanes, such that an empty stacking areais present in the accumulator 40 for each lane to start a new stack. Thenow horizontally stacked row of items 14 are then carried to a furtherconveyor or packaging equipment where they are preferably wrapped,bagged or otherwise packaged.

[0029] The horizontal stacker 10 is preferably controlled by thecontroller which can be programmed to control the timing and advancementof the star wheels 20, the transitioning conveyor 22 and the exitconveyor 42, as well as the movement of the holding rams 46. Motordrives are provided for the conveyors 22, 42 and the star wheels 20, andare connected to the controller. Various types of motors can be utilizedas will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally,sensors are preferably provided at or upstream from the star wheels 20to ensure that each star wheel is filled prior to turning. Additionalsensors can be provided to ensure that each horizontal stack of itemsincludes the required number of items 14.

[0030] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5a-5 e, a horizontal stacker 110according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention isshown. The horizontal stacker 110 is similar to the stacker 10 of FIGS.1-3, and like elements of the two embodiments are represented by likenumerals.

[0031] An input feeder 112 receives slices 14 from a feed area 116 wherethe slices 14 are manually or automatically distributed into row forminglanes. The input feeder 112 includes star wheels 120 each of whichreceives a slice 14 from a staging area 118. Suitable sensors 160,preferably photoelectric sensors as shown in FIG. 5a, are positionedabove each of the star wheels 120 to detect the presence of a slice on arespective one of the star wheels 120. Actuators 162, preferablypneumatic or solenoid actuators are positioned in proximity to each ofthe star wheels 120, one of each preferably positioned between twoplates comprising a respective star wheel 120. When the sensors indicatethat each of the star wheels 120 has received a slice, a controllersignals a drive motor to rotate the star wheels 120 in unison 90degrees, standing the slices on edge on a receiving platform 164. Ifafter a predetermined length of time the sensors 160 do not indicatethat all of the star wheels 120 have received a slice, the star wheels120 will be rotated and an alarm will be triggered by the controllerindicating an incorrect count of slices. The actuators 162 push theslices 14 out of the star wheels 120 against a collating pusher 166which stabilizes the slices 14 to prevent the slices 14 from tiltingforward. See FIG. 5a. The collating pusher 166 is preferably a singleintegrated unit which spans the width of the receiving platform 164 andservices flows of slices 14 exiting from each of the star wheels 120.Alternatively, the collating pusher 166 may include individual arms,each of which independently services a flow of slices exiting arespective star wheel 120.

[0032] After a first predetermined count of slices, preferably 3 to 10slices in each lane have accumulated as a row on the receiving platform164, the collating pusher 166 drops below the receiving platform l64 andmoves back toward the star wheels 120. A holding ram 146 takes over tosupport the slices 14. See FIG. 5b. Slices 14 continue to be loaded onthe receiving platform 164 until a second predetermined count has beenreached. At that point, the collating pusher 166 pops up behind the lastslice in the stack, as shown in FIG. 5c, and the collating pusher 166and the holding ram 146 move in unison to sweep the completed stack ontoan exit conveyor 142. See FIG. 5d. The collating pusher 166 then returnsto its starting position to receive another slice. See FIG. 5e. Thefirst and second count of slices may be determined by using indexingdevices (not shown) which calculate the position of the holding ram andthe collating pusher and/or by using sensors (not shown) which sense thenumber of slices present or the position of the ram and pusher. Thecollating pusher 166 is preferably actuated by an electric drive motorand/or a pneumatic device controlled by a controller, and is moveable inboth the X and Z directions for controlled back and forth as well as upand down movement. The collating pusher 166 preferably comes up betweentwo star wheels 120 for each lane.

[0033] The stackers 10,110 in accordance with the invention allowvarious food items, such as French toast as well as other types of itemsto be quickly and efficiently stacked in horizontal stacks with theitems 14 being generally vertically disposed.

[0034] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changescan be made to the embodiments described above without departing fromthe broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, thatthe invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed,but is intended to cover modifications within the scope and spirit ofthe present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A horizontal stacker comprising: an input feederthat receives items to be stacked in a first, generally horizontalorientation, and transitions the items to a generally verticalorientation at an off-loading position; at least one stabilizing devicelocated at the off-loading position which receives the items from theinput feeder and stabilizes the items in the generally verticalorientation; and an accumulator assembly, which receives the items fromthe stabilizing device and includes at least one holding ram that isconnected to a drive that indexes the holding ram back as the generallyvertically oriented items are stacked together horizontally against theholding ram to hold the items in the generally vertical orientation asthey are stacked.
 2. The horizontal stacker according to claim 1,wherein the input feeder includes at least one star wheel for receivingthe items in the generally horizontal orientation and which arerotatable substantially 90 degrees to transition the items in thegenerally vertical orientation and deliver the items to the stabilizingdevice.
 3. The horizontal stacker according to claim 2, wherein at leastone actuator is positioned in proximity to the at least one star wheelfor displacing the items from the star wheel onto the stabilizingdevice.
 4. The horizontal stacker according to claim 2, wherein the atleast one star wheel is a plurality of adjacent star wheels forreceiving the items and simultaneously delivering the items to thestabilizing device in separate rows, and wherein the at least oneholding ram is a plurality of holding rams for individually receivingthe separate rows of items and creating separate rows of stacks of itemstherewith.
 5. The horizontal stacker according to claim 2, wherein theat least one star wheel includes two substantially identical andparallel plates for support of the items.
 6. The horizontal stackeraccording to claim 2, further comprising a sensor located adjacent tothe at least one star wheel for determining whether an item has beenreceived on the at least one star wheel.
 7. The horizontal stackeraccording to claim 1, wherein the stabilizing device includes at least afirst conveyor for receiving the items and holding them in the generallyvertical orientation while transporting them to the accumulatorassembly.
 8. The horizontal stacker according to claim 7, wherein thefirst conveyor includes a plurality of holding flights for receivingvertically oriented items from the feeder between adjacent ones of theplurality of flights.
 9. The horizontal stacker according to claim 7,wherein the first conveyor includes first and second transmissionelements which translate about substantially identically sized andshaped looped paths at substantially equal speeds within parallelplanes, the paths being offset by a given distance within the respectiveplanes, and wherein each of the holding flights is pivotably connectedto the first and second transmission elements about first and secondpivots respectively, whereby the holding flights maintain an unvaryingrotational orientation throughout their translation about the loopedpaths.
 10. The horizontal stacker according to claim 9, wherein theaccumulator assembly includes a second conveyor substantiallyperpendicular to the first conveyor and the holding flights eject theitems onto the second conveyor where they are stabilized by the holdingram.
 11. The horizontal stacker according to claim 9, wherein each ofthe flights includes a cutout which receives a portion of an adjacentone of the flights when the paths of the first and second transmissionelements overlap.
 12. The horizontal stacker according to claim 1,wherein the stabilizing device includes: at least one receiving platformpositioned between the accumulator assembly and the input feeder whichreceives the items from the input feeder; and at least one collatingpusher indexably movable in a first direction away from the input feederas the generally vertically oriented items are stacked together againstthe collating pusher on the receiving platform, and movable in a seconddirection away from the receiving platform for allowing passage ofvertically oriented items through to the accumulator assembly off of thereceiving platform and for allowing the items to stack against theholding ram.
 13. The horizontal stacker according to claim 12, whereinthe collating pusher is movable toward the input feeder to relocate astack of the items off of the receiving platform.
 14. The horizontalstacker according to claim 13, wherein the accumulator assembly includesa conveyor and wherein the collating pusher is movable toward theaccumulator assembly in unison with the holding ram to relocate a stackof the items off of the receiving platform onto the conveyor.
 15. Thehorizontal stacker according to claim 14, wherein the conveyor ispositioned substantially perpendicular to a direction of motion of theitems through the input feeder.
 16. The horizontal stacker according toclaim 1, wherein the at least one holding ram comprises a plurality ofadjacent holding rams for stacking individual rows of the items receivedfrom the stabilizing device, and wherein the accumulator assemblyfurther includes a conveyor for substantially simultaneously receivingthe stacked rows of items.
 17. The horizontal stacker according to claim16, wherein the conveyor includes partitions for separating stackedgroups of items between the partitions.
 18. A method for horizontallystacking items comprising: providing at least one row of horizontallyoriented items located generally on a plane; consecutively rotating theitems substantially 90 degrees, whereby the items are verticallyoriented, and horizontally stacking the items at an off-loading positionon a receiving platform against a collating pusher; indexing the pusheraway from the stacked items to allow newly stacked ones of the stackeditems to fit on the receiving platform; withdrawing the pusher away fromthe stacked items when a first predetermined number of items are stackedon the receiving platform; providing a conveyor adjacent to thereceiving platform; and receiving the stacked items with at least oneholding ram and indexing the holding ram away from the stacked items toallow the newly stacked ones of the stacked items to fit on thereceiving platform and allow the stacked items to be received onto theconveyor.
 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step ofproviding at least one row includes providing a plurality of rows ofitems, and wherein the step of receiving the stacked items includesreceiving a plurality of rows of stacked items with a plurality ofholding rams of equal number to the number of rows, and furthercomprising the step of indexing the conveyor in a directionperpendicular to the rows a distance sufficient to allow new ones of therows of stacked items to form on the conveyor when a secondpredetermined number of stacked items are present in each of the rows onthe conveyor.
 20. The method according to claim 18, further comprisinginserting the collating pusher adjacent a most recently stacked one ofthe stacked items opposite the holding ram when a second predeterminednumber of items has been stacked whereby the stacked items are disposedbetween the holding ram and the collating pusher, and moving thecollating pusher and holding ram in unison to sweep the stacked itemsonto the conveyor.